I sourced one for a friend for £500, so yes, they are available. This was a couple of years ago though. It didn't have a V5 but we got the frame checked and it turned out it was registered and clean, just missing the V5. A few quid put into it and it came up quite nice...
And what it actually said: VJ22 Mint £3100 - £4200 Clean £2400 - £3000 Tatty £1300 - £2300 Hound £800 - £1200 VJ21 Mint £2800 - £3500 Clean £2200 - £2700 Tatty £1100 - £2000 Hound £600 - £1000 for those that might be interested without artistic forum journalism getting in the way
VJ22 Are in high demand for a 350Lc hybrid. well the usd forks and rear end are. I remember when you could get a complete vj22 for about £500 and it would be in good condition and 350 lc for £400
Just in the process of finishing a VJ22 track bike and then have another to start on that needs some work. The parts are expensive for what they are and have shot up over the past few years. Shame as I remember when you could pick up engines for a few hundred quid etc. etc.
I like the idea of a hybrid with 888 looks and st4 modern practicality it would make a nice silhouette track bike without needing to source lights etc. personally i would start with st4s with uprated wheels, shock, forks etc. i have sourced a 888 tank so looks like i may be starting something! redmax steve offers the conversion on his website
I waited to leave a comment until I read the article. I'm biased, but I don't get it. When you can get an OK real one for less than they're paying to make a fake (I did last year hence being biased now) it seems a bit pointless. The article says that "prices of 851s starting at six grand" but that's mint, low mileage, FSH money not "starting at" money. If willing to have something with less documented history, a few miles or needing a little work it'd obviously be thousands cheaper. If you can build a fake you can probably cope with fettling an original. It also says "the crankcase engine and swingarm mounting points didn't move from the Paso to the 1098" whereas posts on various forums lead me to believe that SSA models have different swingarm mountings and therefore don't work? Perhaps someone can confirm? Hopefully this conversion won't catch on as it will only drive up prices of specific parts (such as fuel tanks) and potentially lead to more 851s/888s being broken for spares. I believe it's already an issue that they're worth more in parts than for rebuild as you rarely see project bikes for sale, but I guess that'll change as they get rarer. I'm sure it'll be an interesting read, but hopefully a one off......... Also, a question for the specials builders..... If it has a new frame and a mix and match of components from various bikes does it not have to pass some kind of SVA/BIVA test and what's involved in this? What will it end up registered as? I've seen the hassle modified cars go through to be 100% legal (which many aren't) on another forum, but don't know how it works for bikes.
If the bike has the original, yet modified frame and different components it's already registered and just needs an MOT. Take my KR1000 replica's I'm building (see in builds and projects) all that will be GPZ1100 will be the frames headstock and down tubes and the Engine (most of which is different internally) and absolutely nothing else.
there is a cheap 888 on bike trader for 4750. My reason would be to have the convenience of a TPG Ducati that looks like an old one! i see BBB also makes a chassis for 1500, the st4 looks all wrong under the seat area. As an unique / individual track bike it makes a lot of sense, i have already done the big scary bike thing If I was looking for a pure road bike I would buy the original... http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410178282798
Typical DVLA in that it is completely different to cars! If you modify a monocoque (e.g. cut the transmission tunnel or bulkhead to fit a bigger engine/gearbox) or chassis (e.g. changing the front cross member to fit IFS in a beam axle car) then it SHOULD be inspected and is likely to loose its identity. Obviously many aren't notified to DVLA and it's up to the owner whether they take the risk.....but the relevant forums are showing more getting caught out... Unfortunately it's often a less knowledgeable buyer rather than the builder that gets caught out. "Q plates" are just beginning to be seen as a good thing for this reason and I believe this will only become more normal, whereas previously they were frowned upon. Also, in the article he refers to a "two grand frame set", so I guess from your post that this will make a difference to the registration as it isn't the original frame being modified? I guess another 851/888 couldn't be broken up to provide its identity (in a similar way to MGB roadsters used as donors for Heritage re-shells that only donated paperwork), but that would seem a shame and counter productive. It'd seem a folly to do something not to the letter of DVLA rules, even if the DVLA often don't understand them, and publish it in a magazine for all to see! This sort of thing interests me from a build point of view but isn't for me. I'd rather have something "real" e.g if I had a £4k budget and wanted an 851 and they really were £6k, I'd "settle" for a 900SS which can be bought easily within £4k. If you're building something unique/unobtainable then obviously that's different. Looking back 5/10 years I couldn't understand the guys that paid Sunbeam Tiger money for fake Cobras, or 912 money for Chesil Speedsters. Also I ride/drive old bikes/cars for the experience, I could fit the Mustang with a steering rack, IRS etc. but then it wouldn't be a classic car so what's the point? I just modify with simple and reversible modifications that improve the vehicle whilst maintaining what it is. Just my opinion and it's good that everyone is different.
